Wondering where to eat at Universal Orlando? Our family agrees that these are THE BEST restaurants in Universal Orlando. Family friendly, great atmosphere, good prices, and so much fun!
It was our first visit to Universal Orlando, and at first, we were a bit overwhelmed by all of the food options. In general, we are pretty frugal travelers but we also knew that we wanted everything about our Universal Studios vacation to be a fun experience. Thus, we looked for options that weren’t too pricey, had a fun atmosphere and offered more than just fast food-like options. Thankfully, Universal Orlando had lots of great dining options for us to choose from.
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Below, we share what our family felt were the best family dining restaurants in Universal Orlando – based on atmosphere, menu choices, theme and price.
Best Family Dining Restaurants in Universal Orlando
Here are our three favorite family-friendly restaurants within the two Universal Orlando parks – Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
Three Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron
Family Favorite Dining Experiences at Univeral Orlando for Harry Potter Fans
We are huge Harry Potter fans, and we knew we wanted to eat at one (if not both) of the Harry Potter restaurants at Universal Orlando. Ultimately, our family chose to eat at Three Broomsticks.
Both restaurants – Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron – have an authentic Potter-like atmosphere. Both places offer good food options (including kids meal options). Both places offer similar (and reasonable) prices. Both places are great dining options for families!
FUN FACT: Beware! The sign at the Leaky Cauldron actually leaks. If you are standing beneath it, you may find yourself all wet. Click here to learn more magical secrets about Universal Orlando’s Diagon Alley.
When deciding between dining at Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron, it really came down to location and food preferences. Three Broomsticks is located in the Islands of Adventure park; Leaky Cauldron is located in the Universal Studios Florida park. Additionally, the two restaurants offer two different menus. The Leaky Cauldron menu offers more traditional English meal options, such as Toad in a Hole, Cottage Pie, Bangers and Stew. The Three Broomsticks menu offered more recognizable menu options (while still feeling authentic to the Harry Potter theme), such as chicken, ribs, and giant turkey legs as well as fish and chips. Again, both restaurants offered kid meals.
We are a family of introverts and were intimidated by the idea of having to ask a bunch of questions to figure out what to order at Leaky Cauldron. Thus, we chose to eat at Three Broomsticks.
MONEY SAVING TIP: The Great Feast at Three Broomsticks can be an affordable way to feed your entire family!
Our two smallest children ordered typical kiddie-type food from the children’s menu. My teenage son ordered a ginormous turkey leg. My husband and I both enjoyed Rotisserie Chicken Platters. And, of course, we all enjoyed sipping on BUTTERBEER drinks.
FUN FACT: Did you know that you can order Butterbeer plain or frozen? We had plain Butterbeer with our meal at Three Broomsticks. Later, we enjoyed Frozen Butterbeers in Diagon Alley as a tasty way to beat the hot Florida heat.
The food was good and filling, the Butterbeer was divine, and the atmosphere was fun. It really did feel like a place where Harry, Ron and Hermione would enjoy hanging out!
Overall, we were delighted with our experience there.
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Thunder Falls Terrace
This Family-Friendly Restaurant in Universal Orlando Makes a Splash
My children are also big-time fans of the Jurassic Park movies
Thunder Falls Terrace is located in Islands of Adventure right next to the Jurassic Park River Adventure’s big drop. You can watch the splash zone from the restaurant windows. It was highly amusing watching pedestrians get soaked as we enjoyed our food.
The restaurant is set up cafeteria style. You get a tray and move along the counter telling the staff what you would like to eat. The food was great! I had the Rice Bowl, and it was the perfect mix of tasty and filling. My husband had the Chicken Wrap and proclaimed it delicious. Our kids ordered standard kids menu fare.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Thunder Falls Terrace is that the menu is a little confusing. Most of the entrées were listed as “combos” leading us to think the entrées were only available as part of combos complete with shakes, and that is not the case. Additionally, this restaurant offers kids meal options that are not listed on the menu at all.
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After placing our order, we found the overall dining experience there to be a good one. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals (soooo good!), and we had some good laughs watching people get splashed just outside of the restaurant windows.
In fact, it was such a good experience that we almost went there again for lunch the next day!
Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous
Fun Family-Friendly Dining in Islands of Adventure
My children wanted some of the standard fast food type meals that one might usually expect at a theme park. And, we found Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous to be a great option for that!
Found in the Seuss Landing area of Islands of Adventure, Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous has a really fun atmosphere to go along with its tasty burgers, pizza and fries. Dining here is an exciting circus-like experience. Your family will enjoy their quick-service meals under a circus big top and surrounded by colorful caricatures (just like the ones in Dr Seuss’s If I Ran the Circus
While dining there, make sure you look up! The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride passes right through the restaurant, and that is the best part of the dining experience there! We loved seeing the riders pass by overhead. We would wave to them, and they would wave back to us.
The menu at Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous includes a variety of burgers, fried chicken, pizza, salads as well as Super Spaghetti with Meatballs.
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Where does your family like to eat at Universal Orlando?
So I’ve shared our family’s three favorite restaurants – Three Broomsticks, Thunder Falls Terrace and Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous. Which of these restaurants would you enjoy most? What other family-friendly restaurants should be added to this list?
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Such a great planning tool! I’ll keep this in mind for when we plan a trip. These restaurants sound so fun!
Oh my goodness! So much fun! We were so pleased with the quality of the food and how well the fun atmosphere of the theme park carried over to their dining establishments. I wish we were back there right now.
Great article! Thanks for the tips! I’ll return the favor and share a tip as well. Butterbeer also comes in a “hot” version and is also very delicious. It is sold in the winter months!
I didn’t know they sold hot butterbeer in winter!!! Yum! I guess we need to plan our next visit for a winter month. Thanks for the tip.